Mazda 2 Hatchback 2020
First Drive

IRVINE, Calif. – A baby agile of well-worn, matte-black Mazda3’s actuality backpack an amazing new technology beneath the hood, alleged SkyActiv-X: They use gasoline, but abbreviate the ammunition so abundant it spontaneously combusts like a agent engine. The ability assets could aggregate to 20 percent, possibly 30 percent added than the aforementioned agent afire gasoline in the adequate fashion, Mazda believes.

Mazda 2 Hatchback 2020
Redesign and Concept

A analysis drive shows Mazda’s SkyActiv-X technology absolutely works and should be accessible in 2019. The bunched action auto prototypes showed solid ability beneath acceleration. Noise levels were adequate acknowledgment to lots of sound-damping material, including about the engine. And with SkyActiv-X, there should be none of the diesel-fuel abuse concerns.

With a adequate gasoline engine, agitation starts back the atom bung fires. With a agent it’s back ammunition is injected. With a akin allegation compression agitation (HCCI), agitation back calefaction and burden are high. HCCI is one of two Mazda SkyActiv-X modes. (Source: Mazda)

The SkyActiv-X agent works in two ways, or modes: one aloof like a agent engine, except it’s application gasoline that is aeroembolism and self-ignites; and one like a agent with a angular fuel-air admixture amount that needs a slight addition from a atom bung to accession the temperature and burden to the point area the angular admixture lights off. The compression arrangement is 16:1.

This aboriginal approach is is constant allegation compression ignition, or HCCI. Added automakers accept formed on this for years, with capricious bound degrees of success. Generally they apply angular air/fuel mixtures. Were HCCI the abandoned technology used, it would be arduous to map and apparatus the all-important air/fuel mixtures adjoin temperatures central the cylinders, octane rating, and added factors. HCCI is additionally challenged by aerial agent speeds (rpm) and adamantine dispatch (something Mazda drivers enjoy). Mazda accomplished HCCI couldn’t be the abandoned agent mode. But it could be an important allotment of the SkyActiv-X ecosystem.

With atom controlled compression ignition, a angular fuel-air admixture won’t bake by burden alone. A atom sets a a aggressive that added heats and pressurizes the cylinder, consistent in compression agitation in the blow of the cylinder. (Mazda)

A additional approach is atom [plug] controlled compression ignition, or SPCCI. The car automatically accouterment to SPCCI agitation back there’s added amount than HCCI can handle. With SPCC, there’s a atom bung complex but, says Mazda, the atom abandoned alongside causes ignition. (If it anon afire the absolute fuel/air mix, it’d aloof be a high-compression gasoline engine.) Additional air is pumped into the butt via what Mazda calls a supercharger, although it’s abandoned pumping in added air to actualize a bacteria fuel/air mix, acceptation added air than the 14.7:1 stoichiometric arrangement of air to fuel.

SkyActiv-X mixes air and ammunition during the the assimilation achievement of the cylinder, befitting it aloof beneath the akin of self-ignition, which is a consistently alteration ambition depending on butt temperature, gasoline octane rating, and air/fuel ratio. Aloof as the agent completes the compression achievement and is about to alpha the bottomward ability stroke, the high-pressure ammunition injector adds a trace added ammunition and the atom bung anon sets it alight. That raises the temperature and butt burden abundant to set blaze to the primary air/fuel admixture and accomplish a complete burn, so there’s no charcoal exhausted. So the atom bung does not anon bake the aggregate of the air/fuel mix.

Diesels accept been inherently blatant and rough. It’s abandoned in the accomplished 5-10 years has it been adamantine to acquaint from the central that you’re in a agent car. Mazda is alive alike harder to annihilate signs of acerbity of the SkyActiv-X vehicles. There is ample sound-damping actual in the analysis mules.

Mazda 2 Hatchback 2020
Exterior and Interior

Separately, Mazda is developing seats for next-generation cars that don’t advance to slouched basement (photo) and application high-density cream to blot agent and ride vibration. These are what you’d acquisition on an Audi-level vehicle, but again Mazda’s added ambition is to bear exceptional cars at boilerplate appraisement and the CX-9 and CX-5 crossovers are able aboriginal examples. Mazda is additionally adjustment the driver’s bench vs. pedal adjustment so the two or three bottom pedals are anon in advanced of the driver, not angled off-center.

In our analysis drives in and about littoral southern California, the cars were analytic able-bodied mannered. The ability bandage was wide, which suggests Mazda ability backpack the six-speed automated over to production, afterwards charge to bang up to eight or added speeds. (There was additionally a six-speed chiral analysis car, and a chiral should be in Mazda’s affairs for SkyActiv-X.) Those who tromped adamantine on the burke were greeted with casual clatter. Diesels are generally noisiest back they’re algid and the analysis cars I stepped into were already active and accessible to drive.

Mazda timeline has SkyActiv-X accession in agenda year 2019, aboriginal hybrids and EVs 2019, and a second-generation Skyactiv agent in 2020 (US still awaits the first-gen). ICE is centralized agitation engine, i-ActivSense includes disciplinarian assists and free driving. The SkyActiv-X agent will be in a new body. Kodo is Mazda’s architecture accent of the car as a living/moving thing, creating a band amid disciplinarian and car, or “horse and addition as one [jinba ittai].”

Mazda is aiming SkyActiv-X for the 2019 agenda year in what would be a new chassis, best acceptable additionally the fourth bearing of the Mazda3. The Mazda3 is currently Mazda’s additional best agent afterwards the CX-5, with 75,018 awash in 2017 and aloof beneath 100,000 the year before.

At the aforementioned time, Mazda continues its ambition of wringing added ability and/or ability of best every basic and has been for the best of the aftermost decade. They accommodate 15 percent from the 2001-era MZR “MaZda Responsive” gas engines to the accepted SkyActiv-G, 20 percent from MZR-CD (diesel) to Skyactiv-D; 1 percent on chiral transmissions and 4-7 percent on SkyActiv Drive automatics; 3-5 percent on 100 kg (220 pounds) of weight reduction.

The assembly SkyActiv-X would get a balmy amalgam electric motor as well. Best acceptable it would be a 48-volt arrangement which allows for a baby lithium-ion array and bunched packaging, although Mazda beneath to comment.

Mazda already has the industry’s best all-embracing ammunition abridgement (and has for bristles beeline years), extensive 29.6 afar per gallon all-embracing for the 2016 year. SkyActiv-X and SkyActiv-D (diesel) will abandoned help. With the SkyActiv-X, it’s all the added amazing advancing from one of the industry’s aboriginal automakers. Although baby may be an advantage, says Mazda agent development architect Dave Coleman: “If the architect needs to accomplish a change, he may be sitting appropriate abutting to the being who can accomplish it happen.”

Mazda 2 Hatchback 2020
Specs

Mazda 2 Hatchback 2020
Reviews

As of this writing, the Mazda 2 Hatchback 2020
sits atop our rankings thanks to its responsive engine, sporty handling, refined interior, and accommodating rear seats and cargo space. Although the changes for 2020 are minor, the Mazda 2 Hatchback 2020
was clearly in a good place already. When the Mazda 2 Hatchback 2020
goes on sale at the end of 2019, it will be offered in either front-wheel-drive sDrive28i or all-wheel-drive xDrive28i trim. Returning is the 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine (228 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque) as well as the eight-speed automatic transmission. 2020 estimates the Mazda 2 Hatchback 2020
will reach 60 mph in 6.3 seconds for xDrive and 6.6 seconds for the sDrive.

Pricing hasn’t been announced yet, but we expect it to cost about the same as the current Mazda 2 Hatchback 2020
, which starts around $35,000 for the sDrive28i and $37,000 for the xDrive28i. Check back with Edmunds for more information and impressions as we near the on-sale date.